About this course

Entry requirements

Applicants should have:
A a good first degree, normally at 2.1 or above
OR a postgraduate diploma in natural sciences, geography, environmental subjects or any discipline with the application of GIS or Remote Sensing
OR relevant personal or professional experience.
• Students who do not have English as their first language, must have an IELTS score of 6.5 or above or an equivalent rating in another recognised language testing system.
• Applicants from other backgrounds are considered but should contact the Programme Leader: science-queries@gre.ac.uk
• All UK applicants are interviewed.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme provides students with a critical understanding of the theory and practice of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and allied remote sensing and image processing techniques within the field of applications in geography, geology and environmental sciences.

In the first term, students study courses such as Introduction to Geographical Information Systems, Introduction to Remote Sensing and Programming for GIS & Remote Sensing. In the second term, students progress to advanced courses, such as Advanced Spatial Modelling and Advanced Image Processing alongside the newly introduced Spatial Information Systems course. This course includes significant teaching contributions from world leading individuals in the commercial and academic GI worlds, currently including Professor Michael Worboys and Professor David Maguire. Further courses throughout the year help students build their research, academic and presentation skills, and optimise their employability. These courses include contributions by visiting lecturers from industry, government and commerce, and place a strong emphasis on professional and personal development portfolios.

The Applied GIS and Remote Sensing course in the second term provides students with the opportunity to be trained in, and to implement, a range of field observation and data collection approaches as part of a team, and to process those data in a GIS environment. The course includes intensive training in field survey equipment such as GNSS, and a residential field course that includes 5 days of group project work.

The programme culminates in a third term with the dissertation, an individual piece of research focused on the application of GIS or Remote Sensing techniques to a specific challenge or issue. This research may form an extension or development of topics covered in the preceding taught courses, but students are also encouraged to consider a research project topic related to their background interest, so as to develop GIS and Remote Sensing skills relevant to their own subject field.

This is a highly respected programme in the geographical information industry, and graduates are highly sought after in private industry, agencies and government. The programme has an excellent employability rate.

The aim of the programme is:

To provide an intensive educational opportunity designed to equip graduates from a variety of disciplines with the knowledge base and technical skills required to fulfil a professional role in the Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing (GIS/RS) Industry.

Content

Introduction to GIS (15 credits)

Introduction to Remote Sensing (15 credits)

Professional Practice for Geographical Information (15 credits)

Programming for GIS and Remote Sensing (15 credits)

Advanced Spatial Modelling (15 credits)

Advanced Image Processing (15 credits)

Spatial Information Systems (15 credits)

Applied GIS and Remote Sensing (15 credits)

Individual Research and Dissertation (MSc only) (60 credits)

Information for international students

Students who do not have English as their first language, must have an IELTS score of 6.5 or above or an equivalent rating in another recognised language testing system.